Tips for a smooth and glowing complexion

To have flawless foundation application, having smooth and glowing skin is essential. To reach that, understanding how lifestyle can affect the skin is important. I am someone who struggles with combination skin - this can be considered an advantage, considering most foundations or face products work on my skin type. But when having oily and dry skin, finding a face wash, moisturizer, and more, can be a struggle.
Bobbi Brown, a professional make artist and the founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, states in her book that the condition of your skin can be impacted or changed due to many factor: the environment, diet, or overall health (33). This means that there are many things that can contribute to the type of skin someone may have, for example, skin that is red and dry can be caused by very hot or cold temperatures. For me, I have found that very cold temperatures lead my skin to be more flaky than usual. In the winter, the cold weather dries out my skin and minimizes my pores, which impacts my makeup application and often causes me to have to use a different, more hydrating foundation.

Brown goes into further description and analysis about all skin types, "Normal skin: comfortable feeling, smooth texture with small pores... Dry/Extra Dry skin: feels tight after washing, pores are small and sensitive... Oily skin: large visible pores, frequent breakouts... Combination skin: oily T-zone, dry cheeks or spot dehydration" (32). Before reading this chapter of the book, I did not know how to identify certain skin types. Brown led me to the conclusion of me having combination skin. I did some research on what products work best on combination skin, and I found that the brand Murad has a set of face washes and moisturizers for skin like mine.

This face was is a gel based cleanser, which Brown states is best for oily or combination skin that are prone to breakouts (34). Ever since following Brown's tip on using a gel cleanser, my skin has cleared up and my pores have been minimized, which leads to less breakouts.

A question I have for you guys is: what type of skin do you guys have? And what cleanser or facial products work for your skin type?

Brown, Bobbi, et al. Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual: for Everyone from Beginner to Pro. Springboard Press, 2011.

Healthy Snacking

Cravings can be a huge setback when trying to maintain a healthy diet. Most people when they think of a snack think of carbohydrate loaded chips or crackers, but all those do is make you crave more. However, "protein is far better at giving you a pick-me-up" (Zinczenko 66). Lot's of things can get the job done, as well as taste good.

Men's Health, Get Back in Shape focuses on being healthy, but still enjoying life and not having to make huge sacrifices to keep those few extra pounds off. There are plenty of healthy snacks the book talks about, including Laughing Cow Cheeses, hard boiled eggs, and Muscle Milk. I have taken a particular liking to apples and almond butter. The apples are sweet and satisfy my sweet tooth, while the almond butter brings on the protein (Zinczenko 66). This snack is filled with natural sugars, and no room for artificial additives.

I have tried to hold myself to eating this as a snack rather than something unhealthy whenever I'm craving that little something, and it's been working. I've been staying away from chips for the past couple weeks, and as a result I've felt more energized. I'd suggest this snack to anybody trying to stay on the healthy side.

What other quick healthy snacks do you recommend?

Zinczenko, David. Men's Health, Get Back in Shape. Rodale Inc, Emmaus Pennsylvania, 2009.

Classic crunch

An old favorite, for a reason. Everyone knows and can do a crunch. Lie flat on your back with your knees perpendicular to the ground and bring your chest to your knees. So simple and easy, yet it's so helpful when you are working on your upper abs (Lauren, 124). Although, if you've been following my blog from the beginning you know that I am not going for a washboard stomach. Which is why my weekly workout routine has 2 sets of 10 side crunches (pictured above) every workout. Because crunches focus on your rectus abdominis, you won't get the definition of man's stomach. If you are, go for the flutter kicks (Lauren, 125). Mark Laurens book You Are Your Own Gym has really helped me get back in shape, emotionally and physically. I am more energized than before, and I genuinely feel a whole lot better about my body. I have also found that exercising is a great way to channel and relieve my stress. A great improvement has been my sleep. I find that if I do a few sets of crunches, and some pistols (previous blog) that I fall asleep faster, and stay asleep. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking to see quick changes in their physique and overall health. 

Eggs - The Perfect Protein

Protein is the key to building muscle, and everybody knows that eggs are protein-packed. "Calorie for calorie, you need less protein from eggs than you do from other sources to achieve the same muscle building benefits" (Zinczenko 69). Basically, the author of Men's Health, Get Back in Shape is saying that you can eat less eggs, but still have enough protein needed to build bigger muscles. Eggs are also packed with vitamins and minerals, such as B6, B12, iron, and zinc, that are necessary for a healthy body (Zinczenko 69).

In knowing this, I have put eggs in my daily diet. I usually try to eat them for breakfast, but if I don't have enough time to make them in the morning, I make sure that they are my first option for an after school snack.

One of  my favorite things to make are a quick scramble, with eggs, either ham or sausage, and a little bit of cheese. It takes less than ten minutes to cook, prepare, and clean up, and tastes good too! All you have to do is warm the meat, toss in the eggs, then sprinkle in some cheese and seasoning, and now you're set with a good, hearty meal.

After eating a meal with eggs, I always feel energized and ready to get up and do something. They are able to keep me alert at school, or even more pumped to go to the gym.

What other foods do you eat for a protein packed meal?

Zinczenko, David. Men's Health, Get Back in Shape. Rodale Inc, Emmaus Pennsylvania, 2009.

Shoe Laces Mastered

Having the proper equipment is a necessity when doing any physical activity, no matter if its lifting weights, or playing a sport. One piece of equipment that is often overlooked is the shoelaces. Usually, when you buy a pair of shoes, you take into mind the support and the arches, but you don't factor in the impact of the shoe laces on the composition of the shoe. Tying the laces too tight, or even lacing them wrong, can lead to aches and pains, that could eventually lead to serious injuries.

In my case, I find the top of my foot to feel sore after wearing shoes for a while, especially Nike Free Runs, which I work out in. In reading Men's Health, Get Back in Shape by David Zinczenko, I was able to find the simple and easy solution for this problem. By skipping a cross lace half way up the shoe, it can relieve tension put on the top of the foot, allowing it more room to flex (Zinczenko 56). I decided to give it a try, and here is what it looks like. 

The book suggests to "start at the bottom eyelets and criss-cross to the next set of holes. Then thread your laces vertically up the next two pairs of holes" (Zinczenko 56). Since there aren't many eyelets on these shoes, I only threaded vertically up one set of holes because there were not many holes in the first place. In using this shoe lace design, it relieved a significant amount of pain from the top of my foot, especially when running. If I were to have left this issue go unnoticed, it could have led to big problems, such as bone spurs, so I'm glad this tip was included in the book, and it makes physical activity much more enjoyable.

Here I am in my blue Nike Free Runs with the special lace design, able to focus more on the weights than the pain on the top of my foot.

What other tips and tricks do you know revolving around making workouts easier and more enjoyable?

Zinczenko, David. Me's Health, Get Back in Shape, Rodale Inc, Emmaus Pennsylvania, 2009.

Meal Planning 101

Something I have done recently is planning my meals. This means writing everything you’re going to eat down on paper, typed or other ways you could write this down so you have a physical form of what you’re going to eat. This has really helped me get healthier because it’s something I can look at for my meals like dinner to know and not end up eating a frozen pizza or frozen dinner, which seems to happen too often.

In The teen eating manifesto, Stollman includes a section about meal planning and provides templates for the reader to see. The section also includes around how many calories should be eaten for genders which showed for females about 1500 calories and for men about 1800 calories (Stollman 178). For the meal plans, it even planned snacks along with the 3 major meals.

Not only does it show examples of “menus” but it also said how often you should be eating, “Try to eat every three to five hours. If you don’t eat regularly, you may find that you get excessively hungry and then eat too much at the next meal” (Stollman 177). I hope some of you consider meal planning and try out being a healthier you! Thanks for checking out my blog posts.

Do you believe in calorie counting when trying to eat healthier/ lose weight?

MLA: Stollman, Lisa, MA, RD, CDE, CDN. The Teen Eating Manifesto: The Ten Essential Steps to Losing Weight, Looking Great and Getting Healthy. Northport, NY: Nirvana, 2012. Print.

Working out

Eating healthy is hard but something I have trouble with is working out. I’m a lazy teenager who doesn’t like working out so I never have the pull to go to the gym or go on a walk and etc. but then once I’m ready, I never seem to know what exactly to do or how to work out properly.

When you work out, there are so many benefits including, “improved energy levels, increased ability to handle stress, improved mood, reduced risk of many chronic diseases, enhanced self-esteem, more positive outlook on life in general” (Stollman 33). I personally know I should start working out more to receive some if not all of these great benefits.

Now onto what to actually do to work out, the book detailed some ways to work out including: Walking, Using a Work out DVD, Cardio, Strength training, and flexablitity training (Stollman 33-39). I’m going to try to start committing and doing these different exercises often to obtain some of these benefits as noted before.

The last section Lisa Stollman added about Exercising was 10 tips to make exercise part of your routine which includes trying to walk a lot each day, sign up for activities, and make sure to move at least 60 minutes a day. These are just some of the tips for daily exercise!

Do you like working out? What do you do to exercise?

MLA: Stollman, Lisa, MA, RD, CDE, CDN. The Teen Eating Manifesto: The Ten Essential Steps to Losing Weight, Looking Great and Getting Healthy. Northport, NY: Nirvana, 2012. Print.

Adrenaline Boosting Workouts

When most people think of adrenaline, they think of the fight or flight response that is triggered when levels of adrenaline are raised. This hormone increases glucose and oxygen levels, which are needed to physically exert your muscles. However, adrenaline isn't used for these certain scenarios, it can also be used for a more efficient workout.

With an adrenaline-boosting exercise is implemented into a normal workout routine, you can do more than you normally would because all of your physical and mental levels are boosted, allowing you to get the same level of workout done in less time.

In reading Men's Health, Get Back in Shape by David Zinczenko, I found a simple yet effective workout, that doesn't even require a machine or weights. This workout emphasizes "alternat(ing) between two movements, such as squats and push-ups, but mak(ing) them explosive by pushing yourself up with enough force so your feet and hands leave the floor on each exercise" (59). Doing multiple things at once forces your body to create adrenaline to cope with everything that is going on. A specific workout that I found was doing 24 squats, then 24 lunges, which seems fairly easy. Then you do 24 more squats, jumping after each squat, then 24 more lunges, jumping between each lunge. After these repetitions, your legs are completely drained, which is a good thing. Finally, you finish with a 2 minute plank (59). Once all this has done, less than 10 minutes have come off of the clock, and an intense workout has been accomplished.

Here I am doing a squat, working my quadriceps and thighs, preparing to explode up for a jump.

Next, I worked on lunges, exercising my glutes and hamstrings, making sure my front leg stays perpendicular and my back legs stays parallel to the ground.

To conclude the exercise, I went to the plank position for 2 minutes, with the second minute being excruciating.

After doing this specific workout, I did some other miscellaneous arm workouts, as well as a bike and elliptical session. I ended up being in the gym for about 40 minutes, but got a complete, full body workout. This adrenaline boosting workout is definitely a master of efficiency.

This workout reminded me of burpees, a workout where you do a push-up, then jump up, then start with another push-up, usually doing only 10 repetitions, but they sure are exhausting. Are there any other workouts that require multitasking that you recommend?

Zinczenko, David. Men's Health, Get Back in Shape. Rodale Inc, Emmaus Pennsylvania, 2009.

Energy Drinks

Energy drinks are loaded with unhealthy sugars and fats. Often, many people reach for an energy drink when they find themselves grasping for energy. Yet, they are unaware of the unhealthy concerns that come along with consuming an energy drink like Red Bull or Monster. For example, the lack of planning in people’s diets. Michael Van Straten is the author of Low Carb Super Drinks and medical practitioner studying the relationship between health, the food we eat, and disease for over 35 years. In his book, he explained, “Despite twenty-four-hour supermarkets and Sunday shopping, many people just don’t find time to plan their eating and shop for the necessary ingredients. The result: take-aways, ready meals, convenience food, instant soups, pot noodles, and a burger-bar attitude to food. This inevitably leads to overeating and undernourishment” (Straten 47). People often impulse buy, or go out to buy fast-food or eat at a restaurant to avoid the hassle of buying ingredients and making food at home. However, there can be some serious health concerns along with that, such as the health of your overall body. Focus is not on observing calorie intake and sugar intake, but what is easy for us to do. Have you ever stopped out for a bite to eat on the way home because you are too tired to go home and cook, and constantly repeat these actions? The importance of meal planning is something Straten makes sure to point out in his book. Straten included in his work, many high-energy drinks, that are extremely beneficial to our bodies and will help us to obtain a better meal plan. 'Strawberry Fair', one of the many drinks in Straten's book, is jam-packed with vitality and nourishing ingredients (Straten 53). A smoothie-like drink that is packed full of energy to give you that extra boost for the day.

 Strawberry Fair contains:

6 Medium Strawberries,

6oz red grapes,

1 banana,

2 unpeeled kiwi fruit,

1 pomegranate; seeds and flesh scooped out,

2 passion fruit; seeds and flesh scooped out.

 

After washing all of the necessary ingredients, all you have to do is throw them into a juicer. Then, put into a glass, and stir in the pomegranate and passion fruit and you’re done.

I must say, this smoothie was absolutely delicious! And, PACKED with beneficial vitamins and properties for my body. I felt refreshed and almost rejuvenated after drinking this because it tasted so fresh.

I believe that Dr. Straten has created such drinks to successfully prove to us that energy, fullness, relief or calming sensations are reached from unhealthy, sugar-filled foods and drinks.

Are there any other healthy ‘energy drinks’ that aren’t as sugar-packed as a Red Bull or Monster? Do you agree with Straten that drinks like these are an efficient way to obtain energy rather than consuming large amounts of unhealthy sugars in a Red Bull or Monster?  

Straten, Michael Van. Low Carb Super Drinks. Great Britain: Mitchell Beazley, 2005. Print.    

Nutrition is the Key to a Healthy Lifestyle

Everybody knows that they are supposed to eat healthy food. However, most people don't know exactly why. I asked my sister why she should eat in a healthy manner, and she responded with "because it's good for you". I followed this by questioning why "it's good for you", and she didn't know.

I feel like most people are this way. Obviously they don't care enough to do their research. I've began to look into a healthy lifestyle, and Men's Health, Get Back in Shape by David Zinczenko covers everything, from nutrition to weightlifting. Recently, I have been focusing more on the nutrition portion rather than the body sculpting segment, because nobody will see your muscle when it is covered in a layer of body fat.

A way to kill body fat is to eat amphetamines. They act speed up the motor of the metabolism, and ingesting foods that are considered edible amphetamines guarantee to burn calories no matter what. Having snacks charged with them is scientifically proven to help you loose body fat. (96). There are plenty of these foods, which you should always try to fit into your diet. Included are whole grains for their fiber and complex proteins that keep your insulin levels low after a meal, spicy peppers for their capsaicin which boosts metabolism, and lean proteins that require more energy to digest than fatty ones, meaning you burn calories during the process of digestion. Other foods include coffee, for the caffeine speeds up your heartrate, burning more calories than normal, and seafood such as salmon that contains Omega-3 fatty acids, that lower the hormone leptin. "Researchers at the University of Wisconsin found that mice with low leptin levels have faster metabolisms and are able to burn fat more quickly than animals with higher leptin levels. The best way to lower your leptin? Eat fish" (99).

In reading this, for the past three weeks, I have made a point include one source of edible amphetamines in every meal. I always start the day with oatmeal and a cup of coffee, and finish it with some sort of lean protein. As you can see here, today (November 30, 2006) I prepared grilled rosemary salmon, with grilled onions and potatoes, and a whole wheat couscous.



It was a fairly simple dish, which only required some seasoning before throwing it on the grill. For taking less than 25 minutes, it tasted great, and after ward I didn't get that overstuffed and tired feeling that you can occasionally get after a substantial meal.

Eating right doesn't have to come at the cost, as made evident in the meal I mentioned earlier. It's pretty easy to enjoy meals that work well for your body, and your taste buds. Now that I have the nutrition aspects down of a healthy lifestyle, I can begin on physical aspects.

What other healthy meals do you recommend? What specific foods should I add to my diet that would be beneficial?

Zinczenko, David. Men's Health, Get Back in Shape. Rodale Inc, Emmaus Pennsylvania, 2009.